Motorola Edge 60 Stylus review: Midrange phone with modern AI, legacy tools

Business Standard

23-04-2025

Motorola recently launched the Edge 60 Stylus. While it shares similarities with the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, which I reviewed earlier, there are notable differences—most significantly, the inclusion of a stylus, making it one of the first smartphones in the budget segment to feature one. The Motorola Edge 60 Stylus is priced at Rs 22,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. Let us see whether it lives up to expectations as a daily driver.
Design
The Motorola Edge 60 Stylus follows a design language almost identical to the Fusion. The camera island and vegan leather finish on the back panel remain, with a smooth texture that mimics a painting canvas. While prone to smudges, dust, and fingerprints, these are less noticeable due to the deeper shades.
Thanks to Motorola's long-standing partnership with PANTONE, the smartphone is available in two colours—PANTONE Gibraltar Sea and PANTONE Surf the Web. These shades appear more refined than the PANTONE Amazonite of the Fusion.
On the front, the Edge 60 Stylus features a flat display with rounded corners, offering a comfortable grip. The thin bezels contribute to a strong display-to-body ratio. It is 8.29 mm thick and weighs 191 grams, slightly more than the Fusion.
The side panels house the ejectable SIM tray on the left and the power and volume buttons on the right. At the bottom are the USB-C port for charging and data transfer, a 3.5mm headphone jack (which I personally appreciate), a speaker, and the stylus slot. While the back resembles the Fusion, other elements differ, giving the phone its own identity. Also Read:
Display and audio
The Edge 60 Stylus sports a 6.67-inch pOLED display with Super HD (1220p) resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is validated by PANTONE for colour accuracy. Thin bezels ensure a fully immersive viewing experience, especially when watching films or long-form content.
The phone meets MIL-810 military durability standards and is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance. However, the display does attract fingerprints.
With a peak brightness of 3,000 nits—same as the Fusion—the display performs well indoors. Outdoors, particularly in bright sunlight, visibility is compromised. For instance, navigating via GPS while riding a bike may require effort to read the screen clearly.
The phone features Dolby Atmos technology for audio. While loudness is satisfactory, users who prioritise audio clarity over volume and treble may be disappointed. I found that the Edge 60 Stylus tries hard to boost volume, which affects clarity, especially when listening to music.
AI tools and stylus
Like the Edge 60 Fusion, the Edge 60 Stylus includes native AI tools:
Update Me: Summarises notifications
Take Notes: Records, transcribes, and summarises audio
Remember This: Saves screenshots, photos, and notes
Recall: Reminds users of saved items
Magic Canvas: Text-to-video generative AI
The stylus introduces additional tools:
Moto Note: Write or draw freely
Sketch-to-Image: AI converts drawings into realistic images
Handwriting Calculator: Solves handwritten equations
GIF Maker: Records screen sections and creates GIFs
Sketch-to-Image offers modes such as Watercolour, Realistic, Sketch Clean-Up, and Abstract Ink. For example, a rough sketch of a horse running can be refined and rendered in watercolour style by the AI. Sketch Clean-Up polishes drawings, transforming rough outlines into vivid scenes. The stylus truly feels like a magic wand.
However, there are ghost touch issues. Stylus input near screen borders is sometimes unresponsive.
Camera
The Edge 60 Stylus shares the same camera setup as the Fusion. It has two rear lenses—a 50MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultra-wide lens. The third lens-like component is actually a 3-in-1 light sensor using real-time light detection to calibrate light sensitivity for accurate exposure and colours, according to Motorola.
The rear camera allows for up to 2x lossless zoom, but images become blurry beyond that. The macro mode captures details well. In low light, AI enhances brightness, giving images a more vibrant appearance.
The front camera features a 32MP lens, which performs adequately. Both front and rear cameras work well in bright conditions but struggle in low light. Night mode helps, but only to a degree. A useful addition is the built-in document scanner, eliminating the need for third-party apps.
Performance and software
Motorola has improved performance with the Edge 60 Stylus. Unlike the Fusion, which is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7400, the Stylus model features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. While not a top-tier SoC, it offers noticeable improvements in multitasking and gaming.
The device heats up while charging and during gaming at 120Hz. Nevertheless, multitasking and app-switching—between Chrome, Asphalt, Candy Crush, YouTube, BGMI, Free Fire, and Gallery—are smooth.
The phone runs Hello UI, based on Android 15. It offers a clean, bloat-free experience with a minimalistic user interface. However, Motorola only promises two OS updates and three years of security patches, compared to three OS updates and four years for the Fusion—disappointing, given the similar price.
Battery and charging
The Edge 60 Stylus has a 5,000mAh battery with 68W wired and 15W wireless charging. It charges fully in around 75–80 minutes.
Under normal to moderate use, the battery lasts a full day. For heavy gamers—though this phone is not ideal for gaming—it will deplete from full charge to zero in about five hours when used in Turbo mode.
Verdict
It is impressive how Motorola has introduced a stylus-equipped edition at the same price as the Fusion, making this an outstanding mid-range option. Getting a stylus with a mid-range smartphone seemed a forgotten dream, but Motorola has revived it.
If you enjoy taking notes, sketching, or doodling, the Edge 60 Stylus is a strong choice. Hardcore gamers, however, might consider alternatives. Overall, the inclusion of the stylus makes this smartphone a top contender—possibly the best—in the mid-range segment.